This profile is part of Queerty’s 2022 Out For Good series, recognizing public figures who’ve had the courage to come out and make a difference in the past year, in celebration of National Coming Out Day on October 11.
Name: Solomon Bates, 25
Bio: Solomon Bates grew up in Victorville, California, where he excelled on the baseball field. He played through college for the University of Southern California until 2018, when he became the eighth-round pick for the Giants at age 25.
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Little did we know, the following year, in 2019, Bates came out as gay to his teammates—the Giants’ minor league Richmond Flying Squirrels—and never let the ball drop.
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His posts during the time period show his clear love for the game:
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Coming out: The right-handed pitcher was released from the Giants organization this year, but Bates still had cause for celebration—becoming the second minor league baseball player to publicly come out as gay, after David Denson in 2015.
“Being gay in this sport you don’t know what comes at you!” he said, alongside images of his 2022 stats and photos of him in action.
“I thank the Giants for giving me the opportunity to be myself and go out there and play the game that I love the most. I’m still in shock on what just happened. But I’m not giving up on what I want to do. I’m still going to open up doors for gay athletes like me. Still will strive to be one of the greatest to do it.”
He continued, “I ended on a high note from getting hurt to going out there and pitching my ass off. Baseball I’m not done with you. I’m leaving on my terms and my terms only. Gay men can play a manly sport if you give us a chance to.”
“Thank you giants, you guys made a new fan. But gave me a chip to keep going. I love all the new friends that I’ve made. I’m not going to cry. I’m going to keep pushing.”
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A few months earlier, he posted a slightly more cryptic message during Pride month that read:
Got my mind on a bigger picture. Bigger than me!!!! ⛈🌧🌦🌈
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Those who came out to make a difference
Kangol2
I’m very proud of Solomon Bates and praise his coming out in Major League Baseball.
His recent single season and over all stats look great, so what’s up? In particular, his strikeouts-to-innings ratio, usually the sign of a power pitcher, is excellent. He also has an overall winning record and a decent ERA, though this year’s, 3.74, was very good, along with win-loss record (4-1) and strikeouts-to-innings ratio.
Why did San Francisco effectively drop him? Why hasn’t anyone else picked him up since he’s come out? What else is going on and shouldn’t we hear the rest of the story?
charette8596
I wonder as well. As an avid Fantasy Baseball participant I can tell you his 2022 stats are good numbers. He has a decent ERA, a very good WHIP and an excellent K/IP. What’s not to like? A solid relief pitcher is an asset to any MLB team. Is it because he’s out, the reason he’s not currently on a roster? It’s very possible. Maybe a lot of teams don’t want the publicity of having an openly gay man on their team. If that’s true in this day and age, that’s a damn shame. I’m a Cardinal’s fan and we need good relief pitchers in the worst way. Come on Mozaliak, give him a call.